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Re: QUERY: Teaching Lolita
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Dear Matt,
I always use the Annotated Lo, but warn my students in advance that
those who are reading Lo for the first time should not to read the
footnotes, other than the translations from the French, until after
they've finished the book, if they want to enjoy the process of
discovery. No one has yet complained...
Best,
Priscilla
On May 17, 2007, at 9:00 AM, Matthew Roth wrote:
> Dear list,
>
> I was happy to read in the current Nabokovian Leland de la Durantaye's
> article regarding Appel's Annotated Lolita. He touches on a problem
> that I have pondered as I prepare to teach Lolita next spring--namely,
> the fact Appel's annotations give away very early (within the notes to
> the first chapter) the novel's conclusion and many of its other
> mysteries. As de la Durantaye points out, this "seems to run counter
> to the aims of the novel, as well as to Nabokov's professed desire to
> make the reader work as he did." I'm curious, then, how others who
> have taught Lolita have handled this problem. Did you avoid The
> Annotated Lolita altogether? Did you forbid the reading of the
> footnotes, all or in part? The problem for me is that the
> footnotes--esp. for someone without French--are very helpful in one
> way, but damaging in another. I would appreciate thoughts on this
> matter.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Matt Roth
>
> Search the Nabokv-L archive with Google
>
> Contact the Editors
>
> All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by
> both co-editors.
>
> Visit Zembla
>
> View Nabokv-L Policies
>
Priscilla Meyer
Russian Department
212 Fisk Hall
Wesleyan University
Middletown CT 06459
(860) 685-3127 (work)
(860) 347-0059 (home)
http://pmeyer.web.wesleyan.edu
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
I always use the Annotated Lo, but warn my students in advance that
those who are reading Lo for the first time should not to read the
footnotes, other than the translations from the French, until after
they've finished the book, if they want to enjoy the process of
discovery. No one has yet complained...
Best,
Priscilla
On May 17, 2007, at 9:00 AM, Matthew Roth wrote:
> Dear list,
>
> I was happy to read in the current Nabokovian Leland de la Durantaye's
> article regarding Appel's Annotated Lolita. He touches on a problem
> that I have pondered as I prepare to teach Lolita next spring--namely,
> the fact Appel's annotations give away very early (within the notes to
> the first chapter) the novel's conclusion and many of its other
> mysteries. As de la Durantaye points out, this "seems to run counter
> to the aims of the novel, as well as to Nabokov's professed desire to
> make the reader work as he did." I'm curious, then, how others who
> have taught Lolita have handled this problem. Did you avoid The
> Annotated Lolita altogether? Did you forbid the reading of the
> footnotes, all or in part? The problem for me is that the
> footnotes--esp. for someone without French--are very helpful in one
> way, but damaging in another. I would appreciate thoughts on this
> matter.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Matt Roth
>
> Search the Nabokv-L archive with Google
>
> Contact the Editors
>
> All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by
> both co-editors.
>
> Visit Zembla
>
> View Nabokv-L Policies
>
Priscilla Meyer
Russian Department
212 Fisk Hall
Wesleyan University
Middletown CT 06459
(860) 685-3127 (work)
(860) 347-0059 (home)
http://pmeyer.web.wesleyan.edu
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm